"And the man died..."
Sitting in the congregation, the man tried his best to but just couldn't understand why the preacher had nothing ("better") to say other than: "And the man died."When he got home, the phrase kept ringing in his mind - he couldn't sleep, nothing could erase the phrase from his mind. He eventually gave his life to Christ...and then had peace.
God is amazing in how He makes His word come alive to us as individuals - that man couldn't have been the only one in church that day. Let's think about it, reading Genesis 5 can sound like a broken record....however, I believe (and know for a certainty) that God put all that information in there so we can all remember that irrespective of what we achieve or don't achieve on earth, one day "the man" will die...and after that judgement. It clearly says so in Hebrews 9:27: "We die only once, and then we are judged" (CEV) - an undebateable fact.
As final (and maybe fearful) this sounds, the good thing is that God has given us what I carefully call "room to maneuver" because He does not want anyone to perish (2 Pet 3: 9). He is not happy when a person dies a sinner (Ezekiel 18:32) because once the person dies, that's their judgement day. In essence, "we should judge ourselves. Then we would not be found guilty" (1 Cor 11:31). What that says to me is I need to take the time to do a thorough self-assessment and make the necessary amendments – there is no opportunity for such “amendments” after death. What a "blank cheque" of opportunity to decide where you want to spend eternity...a decision that only you can take for yourself and only while alive.
What a wonderful God we have - He always provides us with a way of "escape" because He wants us to be with Him forever. Whatever your aspirations and accomplishments on earth, plan for your eternal destination. Never forget: "and the man died"...after that judgement.
No comments:
Post a Comment